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In Belarus on trial of Austrian investor

In Minsk, the trial continues of a large businessman Alexander Muravyov, who bought the state shares AOA “Motovelo”.

The defendant argues that his trial for the failure of the business plan, written by state experts.

The court in the case of JSC “Motovelo” has begun in the last decade of October and beginning of November he started questioning the main accused Alexander Muraviev. With him on the dock also the Director of “Motovelo” Kazimir frost, the Deputy Director of the factory Tatiana Lukovets’. They are accused of fraud, embezzlement through abuse of office, tax evasion.

Alexander Muravyev – Belarusian by origin, who left in the late 90s, first in Moscow and then in Austria. In Belarus, he returned to the status of an Austrian investor, the owner of the company ATEC Holding in 2002, buying a 65% stake in glassworks “Elizovo” canadian company Consumers Glass Company. The case for this project went well, and in 2007, the state, represented by the presidential administration proposed, and the Ants refused to buy shares of the troubled plant “Motovelo” in the center of Minsk.

Known in Soviet times, the production is now virtually reduced to a minimum. And before it was bought by Ants. Local experts at the time adversely evaluated the transaction with ATEC Holding, accusing the state of opacity. Package made from almost 100% of the shares were sold for a nominal sum, it is not clear how to calculate with the condition of investing in it 20 million dollars the preservation of specialization of the plant and the trademark “Stork” and “Minsk”. Action had become property of ATEC Holding only after fulfillment of these conditions. Experts doubt that the plant will be able to return to life: the markets are hopelessly lost, and Muraviev was suspected that he is interested in land in the center of Minsk.

As Ant says, its obligations, the investor is fulfilled. Motorcycles and bicycles were produced, the loss has ceased to be generated, and in the development of “Motovelo” has been invested about 30 million us dollars. In the early summer of 2015 Muravyov was detained, and he still, in spite of requests to change the measure of restraint in custody. He is accused that he did not fulfill the conditions of the investment agreement and not invested in the development of the promised 20 million. but because took possession of the stock of the plant illegal. Yes, the money invested was, agrees with the charges, but not there. They mostly went to pay off the debts of the company.

Ants speaking in court, explained that it did not extinguish the debt, he could not, because the enterprise is blocked from-for debts accounts about what the state, by the way, selling him the shares was not informed. Now the entrepreneur is required to pay the difference between the share price which he actually paid, and their market value, which is calculated by the state itself. We are talking about the amount of 52 million dollars. Ants estimate the state believes is untrue.

The owner of the “Motovelo” told the court that the sale of the state represented by the Ministry of industry “handed” him the business plan with preferential conditions for payment of energy and tax on real estate, then these privileges abolished, which increased the cost of the investor. Yes, and the business plan has caused a lot of issues for the development of new also takes time, but the deal “obtyapali” so quickly that this ATEC Holding just didn’t have time. However, the investor in the course of work had to adjust the business plan “Motovelo” and to build their plans as conditions changed. “Every company understands that conditions change, it is necessary to react, no one in this accusation does not hold. That means we need to buy fewer machines to allocate money for salary, taxes,” – said the businessman in court.

Mass, series Minsk

By the way, along with Alexander Muravyov was arrested his two brothers. As he explained in court yesterday, they still did not understand why they were planted. One of them was just off, as it allows the Belarusian legislation, and the second could not, because the cost of freedom (amount of damages) are constantly growing. “There is a word “inhuman”. Perhaps it’s appropriate here,” said Alexander Ants.

Local economic community involved in high-profile cases, of course, sympathetic, but nothing extraordinary’t see it. “No need to play with the Belarusian state gambling,” say observers. The situation is typical for Belarus, the result is predictable. The state considers its property of any enterprise which has been privatized, and feels entitled to change the rules of the game at any time. A clear privatization rules do not exist, and instead there is an “individual approach” to investors. The result is conditions of the transactions as a pole – where the government turned, and left.

In response to the Siskin. The Belarusian government is very fond of the methods of racketeers of the 90s

Last week, the “NG” wrote about the fact that Belarus has occupied the 37th place in the world Bank rating “doing business” that gave the government the opportunity to speak about the unprecedented conditions for investors in the country. However, according to experts, much more about the real business climate in the country can say to the business “Motovelo”.

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M. P. the First thing that is ridiculous, “an Austrian businessman” Ants. Austria created poloidally regime for non-residents. Because there, the Ants, and Luzhkov and Baturina..

What is the Belarusian government (i.e. officials) is known. It’s all the evils, which we hear in Russia, only reduced. And so complaints Muraveva sound ridiculous. In fact, faced a blunt of planning sleeping postsovetskoe economy and market con man who wanted to use his vices.

Why a fraud ? Because the $50 million market value for the shares – it’s not unfair, and in fact true, because Ants do not take into account that the plant was sold to him for pennies (about $5 million). His complaint that it is investment to pay debts – a baby crying. He bought the plant with your eyes closed ?

In my opinion, to lift that huge land-the plant “Motovelo” on the production of the bike was initially impossible. Then hoped for ? Rather, it is the fraud on the use of the property, that would have to wait to get the full right to free disposal complex in the center of Minsk.

We must pay tribute to Muravyov – it develops from us officials and investigators. With such transactions, they did not face. But in fact he himself has brought due to its interrelated companies for many.